Malaysia’s Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu announced plans to raise the country’s rice self-sufficiency ratio (SSR) to at least 80 percent to ensure a comfortable supply level. The current SSR below 60 percent is considered inadequate for Malaysia’s food security [1, 2, 3].
Addressing the Malaysia Agriculture, Horticulture and Agrotourism Exhibition (MAHA) 2026 at Laman Padi today, the minister said efforts will continue to strengthen the rice ecosystem and boost domestic production [1, 2, 3]. “The efforts include encouraging companies and capable parties to open larger rice fields, with the cooperation of state governments in providing suitable land,” he said [1].
Plans to raise productivity and fortify the supply chain include expanding the use of technology, fostering innovation, and opening more opportunities for value creation across the industry chain, Mohamad Sabu added [1]. The agriculture sector’s development is guided by combining data, automation, artificial intelligence, entrepreneurship, and environmental sustainability [1, 2, 3].
Highlighting a promising approach, the minister shared insights from a mid-August visit to a rice-growing area in China where giant freshwater prawn farming was integrated with rice cultivation. “In that rice field, there are giant freshwater prawns, so there are two yields, one from rice and one from prawns,” Mohamad Sabu explained [1].
Malaysia’s favorable weather supports year-round prawn farming, but integration with rice cultivation remains limited domestically, he said. “We need to be more proactive in exploring the potential of integrating giant freshwater prawn farming with rice cultivation, considering that this approach has so far only been implemented on a small scale” [1].
The ministry aims to scale such integrated farming to increase agricultural yields and diversify income sources for farmers, contributing to food security.
The Agriculture Ministry will maintain collaboration with state governments and industry players to implement these strategies, focusing on larger-scale rice fields and advanced technologies to meet the 80 percent SSR target.
